The Summer Kitchen

by Karen Weinreb

When Nora Banks goes to answer the doorbell very early one November 1st, she thinks it must be a group of teen pranksters still out trick-or-treating. But it’s no prank—it’s the Feds, who have come to arrest her husband Evan for a white collar crime. Nora’s enviable, privileged life in the eighteenth-century house she’d quit her job to renovate to museum-quality perfection, is upended in an instant.

The Bedford wives close ranks against Nora and her children. Nora’s only support comes from her children’s nanny Beatriz. The two women bond to raise the boys as smoothly as possible while Nora goes back to work. Baking has always been her biggest passion, so she launches a business of her own, the Summer Kitchen. Tempted by the offer of an affair with one of the local husbands and thwarted by an alpha wife who actively tries to shut down her business, Nora has to reach into reserves she didn’t know she had to support her family and change her way of thinking about life, family, money, and romance.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Adult Fiction, Foodie, Food, Adult

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[JoAnn/QuAppelle Kirk]

Last night, I started (and stopped)reading this --- what could be the worst-written book I have ever tried to read Weinreb purports to have been a journalist, have a degree in literature from Yale, and a master's from Oxford. NO WAY!!!! The writing was so awkward - the way translated language can be, with words seeming to be out of order. I found myself re-reading passages to try to make sense of them. Here are some examples I found when thumbing through the book (some after I abandoned it):

"I booked the trip to Bermuda so that we would have the chance to talk finally alone"

"Though the laugh, the day, it exhausted her." (p.21)

"Nora had been keeping up appearances for two months since the arrest when the exhaustion of the effort and of all she was now managing alone swelled to the feeling that a blood vessel would burst if she didn't rest." (p.65)

"... her boys' faces looked like adorable painted puppets, their cheeks and the tips of their noses blooded circles on complexions frozen otherwise white and stiff." (p. 99)

"la senora" appeared 10 times on one page!

If I had bought this book, I would have returned it and asked for my money back. This once immensely privileged woman must have known someone to have ever gotten her book published. And she got lots of press due to her personal story (hedge-fund husband arrested for wire fraud). GRRRR

[Karen! · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just not there yet in life. Maybe. More likely: this book just sucked.

This is your basic chick-lit: wealthy family, horses, private schools, SUVs....and then the husband goes to PRISON?!?!?!?!? And the family has to try and make it. Luckily, the protagonist could not only give Betty Crocker/Paula Dean/Martha Stewart a run for their collective money, but apparently could trounce them all single handed. She supports her family by baking, somehow keeping the hispanic maid (who we know from the third page is like family, speaks English and is treated like a real human being by our heroine, unlike the other stuck-up skinny bitches in the neighborhood).

Okay, so maybe it was silly of me to even pick up this book in the first place, but in my defense, the cover is SUPER CUTE. Who doesn't like jam.

My main beef is the unrealistic characterization prevalent throughout the text. Seven year olds do not talk like that. Twelve year olds do not talk like that. People with maids do not talk to their maids like that. I don't care where you are from. If you are that kind of person, you just don't have a maid.

[Lacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Starts out feeling like it might be just another chick lit story of a wealthy, privileged woman betrayed by a worthless husband. But the story & the writing go so much further. The heroine (Nora) and her husband (Evan) go through a lot of changes. It does a beautiful job of showing the evolution of a person and a relationship during a difficult time. The descriptions of the baking, gardening are so vivid too!

[Shoshana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it.

I mean, I was interested by the story (a woman has to care for her family and find herself after her husband is jailed for white collar crime and their assets are seized), so I thought I would push through it. I'm actually generally unsympathetic toward rich people who think they have money problems, but I am naturally very sympathetic toward women who have been screwed over by their husbands, so with some good character development I could have been really won over (plus she bakes and I like books about baking).

But! The writing! Was just so bad! So bad! I'm not sure how to describe the stilted telling-not-showing run-on-sentence-heaven that is Weinreb (a former journalist)'s prose. So here's an excerpt:

"Nora had been keeping up appearances for two months since the arrest when the exhaustion of the effort and of all she was now managing alone swelled to the feeling that a blood vessel would burst if she didn't rest. A stomach virus had struck the boys the previous night and she had spent the moonlit hours shuffling one and then the other to the bathroom, changing sheets and pajamas, showering soiled bodies, wondering as she armloaded laundry into a brief, dark calm at how life had not turned into a dead end, but into a desperate, endless, solitary swim through treacle. She had left when Beatriz arrived only because she needed respite from the stench of her life even more than rest."

Was that middle sentence even a sentence?

Ok, not every single paragraph in the book is that bad... but there are enough. You get the gist. I actually made it almost halfway through because I wanted so badly to see Nora grow - but she wasn't even worth it. She's uninteresting. Weinreb goes on and on about how strong she is, how much stronger than all the other shallow rich women she hangs out with, blah blah blah, but I don't buy it for a second! She whines and whines some more and relies on others instead of taking any action on her own, and I was done.

Plus, there wasn't enough baking.

[Eileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started out enjoying this book because it thinly veils the places it is actually speaking about. The private school? Must be Rippowam Cisqua based on the location description. Trick or treating on Halloween in Katonah- legend around these parts. So initially it was a romp.

But as I continued to read, it was not enough for it to be a romp to keep my attention. The writing is poor! The characters are more like charicatures. They are poorly developed and one-dimensional. In the end I realized I was reading drivel and just skimmed over the pages.

Disappointing!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so inspirational to me. I love that Nora created a new life for herself and her children after dealing with a tragedy. This book really shows you how life's obstacles can create a better and stronger self. I hope to one day be able to live my dream like Nora did.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading THE SUMMER KITCHEN, Karen Weinreb's debut novel, I immediately felt I was going to like Nora. She seemed different than the other Bedford wives in that she didn't seem to be as . . . snobby, for lack of a better word. And though I kept that feeling for her throughout the book, I can't say that I related to her at all. Obviously, I don't live in that kind of lifestyle and I don't know any women who do, for that matter, so it was hard to put myself in her shoes. I liked the premise of the story about a woman trying to put her life back together after her husband's arrest, and the inner strength she discovers, however, I was expecting something with a little more depth. The story just didn't move me like I thought it would. I don't want to say too much for those who have yet to read it, but for me, the plot fell a little flat. I found parts of the story just weren't realistic for me. For instance, after her husband is arrested, Nora suffers another devastating loss and I was disappointed that this event was hardly addressed at all. I felt such an incident should've had more of an impact on Nora, which might have given me a more emotional connection to her. However, there was more focus on her sexual fantasies with one of the other husbands, than of the losses she endured. I also felt the story was forced at times -like the author was trying to make certain points before the end of the book. Speaking of the ending, although it was satisfying for the most part, it all just seemed a bit unbelievable to me.

[Pythia · Rating 2 out of 5]

La bottega del titolo compare a romanzo praticamente finito: prima, un interminabile racconto delle sfortune economiche di Nora, madre e moglie che non ha mai avuto un pensiero per i soldi che le escono fin dalle orecchie.
Nora non ha una casa, ha una villa, pure antica. Non ha una cucina, ha una stanza separata dal resto della casa, ovviamente attrezzatissima. Stranamente non ha una cuoca, fa tutto da sola.
Nora non ha amiche, solo conoscenti, madri e mogli come lei, ricche sfondate come lei, che ovviamente (non) si vedono nel momento del bisogno.
Nora ha tre figli bellissimi e perfetti, cresciuti da una tata dal passato torbido: cosa c'è di più naturale per una madre che affidare le proprie creature a un'estranea senza referenze?
Nora si distingue dalle non-amiche perché legge, ma lo fa di nascosto perché non è trendy.
Nora diventa povera perché il marito ha scherzato col fuoco e ta-daaa! Si rimbocca le maniche e diventa una pasticcera di successo.
Morale: i soldi non fanno la felicità, si sta tanto bene alla scuola pubblica, i quartieri delle persone non-ricche sono così carini, mio marito è in prigione ma lo lovvo ancora, ognuno di noi la Forza nascosta in sé ha.
Grazie per la lezione: se avessi voluto un manuale di self-help me lo sarei cercata. Volevo un romanzo, ho trovato un grande boh.

[Kaye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ultimately, this book has a good-hearted, if preachy message, but wading through the mediocre writing and often-awkward wording to arrive at it was painful at times. I figure I can’t really criticize a book if I don’t finish it, and it was our book club selection, otherwise I never would have finished it. If you like redemption books about shallow, vapid people, some of whom wake up and become real, you’ll like this book. Otherwise, there are many, many stellar and meaningful books you might choose instead.

[Boris Bender · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would have given ZERO stars to this poorly-written drivel if possible. Perhaps it got better after page 40 but thats as far as I could make it before throwing in the towel on Nora and her self-righteousness. I was hoping for something fabulous but the ponderous, sometimes aimless writing made me seriously consider whether the author is actually Ivy League-educated...I saw better wordsmithing from High School Juniors. Skip this dumpster fire and save your money and time.

[Cindi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so hard for me to feel sorry for Nora, whose husband was arrested by the Feds, and who was left wringing her hands about concerns that only the insanely rich have. I don't know why I even finished this book, written in from one-dimensional, unreal, yet so predictable point-of-view.

[Devorah Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book... and it wasn't bad, but it was not as good as I'd been hoping. The story shines a light on people who live such extravagant and superficial lives that I couldn't relate to them. That is fine; I read plenty of novels that I do not relate to the setting, and manage just fine. This book however, I felt the the protagonist's transformation and self-discovery was predictable and contrived. It wasn't horrible - there were parts that were really moving, which is why I didn't give this 1 or 2 stars. I just felt disappointed because I was really hoping for better.

(Also, it may be nit-picky, but there were several instances where the sentence structure was odd. In other words, if a sentence could be constructed correctly in one of two ways, the author went with the less-common way of phrasing the sentence. If it had happened once or twice I wouldn't comment, but I noticed it several times throughout the book, and it halted the flow of the story in each case as I stopped to consider whether the sentence structure was accurate or off... because it seemed off.)

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was a fascinating glimpse into the “lifestyles of the rich and famous”, my own suburban experiences being far removed from those of the book characters. It was also a good read about what one can accomplish if thrown a curveball in life (or several), and through determination chooses to make a life of the new normal, instead of just giving up.
On the lighter side, I would not suggest reading this book when you are hungry. You will find yourself heading for the kitchen for a snack, all the while wishing you could taste all the delectable treats and recipes mentioned!😋

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light read. I enjoyed the idea of a woman learning to find herself after her husband goes to prison. I enjoyed the food aspect of the book, including the ideas of the baked goods and menu items that Nora, the main character, made. But some of the plot was contrived and predictable. Overall, a fun, beach read.

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time finishing this book. It was full of rich, entitled families who felt they deserved nothing but the best. I originally picked up this book in hopes there were recipes included, but there was not. It ended up being fine and I’m glad I finished it because I don’t like leaving a book unread that I’ve started.

[Amy Robertson-Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really a poorly written book, I only finished it because it’s the Corona virus 19, season and I only picked up so many books from the library. I didn’t even like the heroine, she was so spoiled and self centered. The community was disgusting with their attitudes about everything.

[Mandy Rempel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to stop on page 260. I just couldn’t continue.
It seemed like you are constantly waiting for something to actually happen in this book and you keep thinking that maybe in the next chapter, but nothing comes.
It’s very repetitive , a lot of narrative and not a lot of story building.

[Ron Haislip-hansberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t mind the writing style. It was just a quick read for me anyway. I do think it was unnecessary to describe one kid as black and another as white. It added absolutely nothing to the story to distinguish between the two. Grated me a bit.

[Laura Bohnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lifes Lessons!

Loved this book! It had everything you need to make a story, heartfelt, inspirational, and meaningful. This was the first time I read this author, I'll be looking for more of her books!

[Kailie Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a little bit to get into this book and I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy it but it did redeem itself. I love the message that it portrayed.

[Lorlee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summer read and not a particularly good one. Clearly a first book that needed an editor. Dense paragraphs and tangents.

[Vickie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! Mean girls vs nice girls/geeks only older and richer. Not my cup of tea!

[Marianne Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little preachy but I did enjoy Nora’s journey.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this book negative stars, I would! Poorly edited and even more poorly written.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty simple story and somewhat predictable, but it held a message that I personally needed so is one of my favorites for this year.

[Lauren Forsyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Nereia · Rating 1 out of 5]

La trama de La bottega dei desideri è più o meno questa qui: una donna di circa quarantanni vive in un posto bellissimo, silenziosissimo e ricchissimo nel sobborghi di New York insieme alla sua bellissima, affiatatissima e ricchissima famiglia. Nora, si chiama così la nostra protagonista, ha tre figli maschi (poraccia), un marito figo (ovvio, scusa eh, ditemi il nome di una ricca con un marito brutto!), una governante ispanica ma così ispanica che parla perfettamente inglese ma non sa pronunciare Mr e Mrs e, così, li chiama sempre Señor e Señora. Incredibile come le goveranti ispaniche si perdano in un bicchier d'acqua! Imparano il periodo ipotetico e poi mi cadono su Mr e Mrs... Non ci sono più le governanti di una volta!
In questo posto simile alla Wisteria Lane de noantri ci sono delle regole da rispettare, altrimenti non si viene visti di buon occhio dagli altri abitanti. E Nora ce la mette tutta, vi giuro, per farsi accettare. In questo posto le donne non devono leggere perché, si sa, la lettura è demodé. Infatti Nora legge di nascosto. In questo posto si deve avere necessariamente il Suv nero sporco di sabbia e terriccio perché, altrimenti, sembra che tu non sia abbastanza ricco da avere un recinto per i cavalli. E, infatti, Nora si è subito fatta comprare un bel Suv nero dal marito e non lo ha mai lavato (e qui ammetto che lo avrei fatto anche io ma più per pigrizia che per i cavalli). In questo posto si cucina solo per intrattenimento, non può essere una vera e propria passione. Attenzione eh, se prepari di tuo pugno un'insalata di pollo perché, disgraziatamente, ti va di farlo potrebbero gambizzarti! Meglio, invece, cucinare solo una volta ogni tanto e farlo con le amiche per preparare le marmellate nella cucina estiva. E certo, perché non sta bene avere in casa una sola cucina che non si usa mai, meglio averne due. Non si dice, infatti, "melius abundare quam deficere"? La nostra Nora ne ha fatto una filosofia di vita.
In questo posto le donne, comunque, non lavorano, mai. E se quando si trasferiscono lì lavorano devono necessariamente lasciare il posto perché... Non si sa perché. Si usa così e basta e quindi, dato che lo fanno tutti, perché non dovrebbe farlo lei? E infatti Nora smette di lavorare.
E però, niente, non riesce a entrare completamente nella vita delle fantastiche persone che vivono in questo posto. Nonostante abbia fatto tutto quello che poteva (tra cui una cosa incredibile: comprare cose costose e poi ridere dell'aver nascosto il cartellino del prezzo per non mostrarlo alla governante povera!), nonostante si sia impegnata a comportarsi da perfetta idiota... Niente, non riesce a fare breccia nei cuori degli abitanti di questo bellissimo quartiere. È circondata solo da persone invidiose (perché, poi, non si sa), che la guardano con sufficienza, la trattano anche un po' con distacco. Povera Nora. Ma nulla è perduto! Infatti ci hanno sempre detto che non tutti i mali vengono per nuocere... E infatti succede che, ad un certo punto, il marito di Nora viene arrestato. Sì perché lui, da bravo marito quale è, tiene molto alla felicità di quella grande intelligentona di Nora e quindi, per far sì che lei avesse Suv zozzi, cavalli in giardino, due cucine inutili e tre figli alla scuola privata, ha frodato lo Stato.
Ma le disgrazie non vengono mai da sole, purtroppo. E, infatti, non solo Nora è senza marito (con cui ce l'ha a morte per tutto il romanzo, sappiatelo) è anche senza amiche perché quelle cattivone delle sue vicine di casa smettono di parlarle! Oh, ma che insolenti. Ma meno male che accanto a Nora c'è l'ispanica Beatriz, che tra un señora e l'altro si trasforma in migliore amica, socia d'affari e toh, si scopre pure che sotto quella crocchia e la gonna a pieghe (WTF?) è anche una bella donna. Ah, queste ispaniche! Si sciolgono i capelli e non si sa come riescono anche a cambiarsi i connotati facciali! Comunque, alla fine, Nora da brava donna intraprendente quale è decide di aprire una caffetteria, trova un posto che il Comune si offre di darle gratis (WTF?) ed ecco qua: Nora è una donna realizzata, è tornata ad essere brava, bella, alla moda, una mamma che tutti i bambini vorrebbero avere e una grande amica per Beatriz. Fine. Poteva infischiarcene qualcosa? No.

Recensione ospitata dalla seconda puntata di Francamente me ne infischio sul mio blog:
Francamente me ne infischio #2

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should start this review by admitting, in fair disclosure that I could not finish it.

I have long prided myself on my ability to finish books, even if I knew I did not care for it,, so it takes something really special for me to give up on reading a book halfway through.

This story is about a stay at home mother named Nora, Nora has the seemingly perfect life. Three young children all in private school. A handsome, successful husband who manages hedge funds and a whole cast of lovely fair weather friend. Oh yes, and the domestic helpers, including a nanny (that is a recovering alcoholic and apparent prostitute, which by the way, only serves to confuse things more.). Was luck would have it, Evan, Nora's beloved husband is found to have been stealing money from his fund and ala Bernie Madoff is sentenced to a few years in a federal prison. Nora must navigate the world without her husband and try to figure out where she belongs.

Supposedly this book is based on the authors real life experience. If this is true, then this makes the book even worse.
Nora's attempts, even early in the book, at trying to sound sympathetic or empathetic to others living situations simply comes off as condescending. Everything from the explanation of why she did not want Beatriz, the nanny to use the living room to play with the boys- because the new couches, which still had their tags on, cost more than Beatriz's salary for an entire year. To her decision to put her sons in public schools, after no longer being able to afford their private school, "She herself was already reassured that the boys would be all right for a time in their new setting, and not just because the grounds and the buildings where so impressive, she had discovered, for being in a rarefied district flush with high property taxes: In fact, to her shock, they were more functional in their layout than the facilities of the private school."


This was actually painful to read. What is so bad about it? Everything. The writing is god awful, the storyline bounces from boring, to questionable to discombobulated and back and forth again. Overall, save your money. If you want a peek in to the lives of the uber wealthy, in a fictional environment read "The Nanny Diaries"
Save your money on this one..

[Cheryln Bologna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. The basic premise of the book is wonderful - a rich family trying to make it once the husband/father goes to prison. The mother/wife (Nora) struggles to keep her family afloat and her children happy. Nora uses her talent (baking) and with the help of wonderful new friends, is successful.

I also didn't like the way Thomas (the older son) was portrayed. He sounded too mature for a 7-year old boy. I can see where the author wanted to go with Thomas, but I think she should have made him older (maybe a teenager).

In some ways, the story went too fast and in others, painfully slow. Some of the story lines, like the snarky Bonnie and coniving Fox, just ended with no flair. I think too much was going on and either should have been a longer book or some of the story lines should have been cut. For example, the character Oliver, Eve's son. He is mentioned towards to end and the way Nora reacts, you think they would have a relationship. He sees her again on the very last page and that's it - over.

Nora also struggles with her feelings for Evan, her husband. This story line should have been a more important theme in the book, but the author lets it fade instead of resolving it.

The author could use some lessons in grammar & sentence structure. I had to read some of her sentences a few times in order to understand them. Her use of commas is,unfortunately, non-existent.

It's a great story, but Karen Weinreb uses too many unnecessary words. It's like she is trying too hard. I understand that she went to Yale and Oxford and that this is her first book. It seems like she had a great idea and just wrote away on her computer and didn't look back to edit. Most of the wordy paragraphs of the book could have been cut out and you wouldn't have lost the story or message of the book.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nora Banks has the perfect life. She is wealthy and well-liked. Her boys attend a prestigious private school and her eighteenth century house is renovated to immaculate and tasteful perfection. Nora's life is filled with volunteering, driving her boys to school and getting together with the other mothers to gossip.

When Nora opens her door before dawn one morning to find federal agents there to arrest her husband Evan for a white collar crime, she is astounded. She never expected this to happen. All the other mothers snub her. What is she to do?

Nora decides with the help of her nanny Beatriz to go back to work. She starts off by doing a midnight shift in a bakery. Soon she decides to indulge her passion and start baking her own goodies to sell.

Nora is furious with Evan to the point of being barely able to talk to him and take the boys to visit their father in jail. She feels the isolation and finds herself encouraging an affair with her lawyer. The lawyer besides helping her with the legal mess her husband has left her with is also trying to help himself to Nora's house. Nora is also dealing with a mum who is determined to run her out of town and out of business.

I loved this book. It brought back what values are really important in life. Nora finds out eventually what is really important in life: family, love and real friends. Sometimes books have a profound effect on their readers. That is what happened to me as I realized what a deep love my husband and I share. Thanks to Weinreb for making me think about my important things in life and realizing what I truly have and can cherish